Electricity 

is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence

and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related
to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as
described by Maxwell's equations. Various common phenomena are related to
electricity, including lightning, static electricity, electric heating, electric
discharges and many others.

The presence of either a positive or negative electric charge produces an electric

field. The movement of electric charges is an electric current and produces
a magnetic field. In most applications, a force acts on a charge with a magnitude
given by Coulomb's law. Electric potential is typically measured in volts.

Electricity is at the heart of many modern technologies, being used for:

 Electric power where electric current is used to energise equipment;

 Electronics which deals with electrical circuits that involve active electrical
components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits,
and associated passive interconnection technologies.

Electrical phenomena have been studied since antiquity, though progress in

theoretical understanding remained slow until the 17th and 18th centuries. The
theory of electromagnetism was developed in the 19th century, and by the end of
that century electricity was being put to industrial and residential use by electrical
engineers. The rapid expansion in electrical technology at this time transformed
industry and society, becoming a driving force for the Second Industrial
Revolution. Electricity's extraordinary versatility means it can be put to an almost
limitless set of applications which
include transport, heating, lighting, communications, and computation. Electrical
power is now the backbone of modern industrial society